After ‘Deepotsav’ and ‘Saryu Aarti’ in Ayodhya, the UP government will organise ‘Ayodhya Mahotsav’ in the temple town.
The state tourism department will organise the 11-day fest at the Government Inter College from December 27.
“The history of Ayodhya and its culture will be showcased in the event along with other aspects of the historic city,” said Ved Prakash Gupta, BJP MLA, Ayodhya assembly constituency, who is chief coordinator of the event.
The government has invited artisans from Basti, Ambedkar Nagar, Gonda, Barabanki, Sant Kabir Nagar and other parts of the state.
President of Ayodhya Mahotsav Nyas Harish Kumar Srivastava informed that several pre-events will also be organised before the Mahotsav.
Among other events at the school and college level, competitions like general knowledge, painting, sketching, essay-writing, rangoli, and kalash decoration will be organised.
Promoting religious tourism is on the priority list of the state government and Ayodhya is an important component of the project.
In the 2018-19 budget, the state government had given importance to lord Ram’s birthplace, Ayodhya.
A provision of Rs 10 crore was made for Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya on November 6 to mark Diwali festivities. On this occasion, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had announced renaming of Faizabad as Ayodhya.
Some part of this budget was also allocated for Dev Deepawali celebrations in Varanasi and the ongoing Lucknow Mahotsav.